In watching the unedited video, it seems to me that Rock was going to tear into Smith then stopped himself. It is clear as day.
I understand why Rock restrained himself, but his instincts were still there.
I didn’t think he would have gotten up the first time. I didn’t think he would assault a comedian on stage in front of a live audience. Neither you nor I have any idea of what he would have done next. It was clearly a threat, one that was ignored by the people running the event, but not by Chris Rock.
The standing ovation might have been a bit much but what were they supposed to do about the Oscar? “The Oscar was gonna go to Will Smith but with his behavior earlier this evening…” and drop it in a bin.
If you listen to the jape, it didn’t get a good laugh.
He should have been removed from the theater after the incident. They would do what they do for anyone who’s not physically there to accept an Academy Award, either designate someone else to accept it or just say “WS is unable to be here and we accept the award in his absence.”
Of course no one expected it the first time. But after he’s smacked a guy once in front of a television audience of millions, you know that it’s something he’s capable of doing. After that, if he tries something more, it’s not going to be a surprise. Security people, or whoever’s in charge of making sure things run smoothly, should be ready to spring into action if he so much as shifts around in his chair while Rock is still onstage. I would hope, for Smith’s sake, that he’s smart enough to understand that, and I suspect he is.
Wanda Sykes, one of the hosts:
I wanted to be able to run out after he won and say, ‘Unfortunately will couldn’t be here tonight…’”
Sykes also said
“For them to let him stay in that room and enjoy the rest of the show and accept his award, I was like, ‘How gross is this? This is just the wrong message,’” she said. “You assault somebody, you get escorted out the building and that’s it. For them to let him continue, I thought it was gross."
I thought so, too.
And yet no one in security appeared to do anything. I think you’re making assumptions about how normal people would act, and Smith already made it clear that he wasn’t acting normal.
Regardless, it was still a threat even if security sprang into immediate action.
Much like at the ATM machine it’s not the media one watches out for. Freedom of speech is a concept too few support. Chris Rock learned what it means to be consequenced.
The bottom line is that Will Smith needs to worry less about what comes out of Chris Rock’s mouth and what goes into his wife’s. His relationship with his wife and the public humiliation of it being widely known puts him in a strange place when it comes to how he’s perceived in terms of traditional masculinity.
He shouldn’t have been allowed to stay there. They could have let Jada accept the Oscar on his behalf.
I saw an apology from Smith today. Good on him, even if it should have come sooner. It doesn’t seem like the typical “I am sorry that you were hurt” apology. I naively hope that is the end of the situation.
Why would it take six security guards to restrain an old man?
As a sort of measuring stick for various things, consider Duncan Goodhew:
People made light of his condition, and I think, to a certain extent, he was OK with that and embraced it and ran along with it (although who knows, really)
Of course, different time, a few decades ago when culture and attitudes were different, and he’s male, which in some cases can make a difference to something like this, but regardless, people - celebrities - made jokes and sketches about his hair loss.
IMO, making jokes about something that is related to a medical condition is OK if everyone is in on it, and everyone is comfortable with it. I’ve encountered cases where people initiated banter about being an amputee or other physical features related to illness, disability or injury. In close company and complete trust and understanding, ‘banter’ can be verbally quite awful, and yet completely acceptable and even loving, between friends.
However, in a live public speech, it is impossible to know that everyone is going to be ‘in on it’ in real time, therefore, it’s not a good idea. If it cannot even be known that the subject of the jibes is ‘in on it’, then doubly not a good idea.
It’s understandable why Will Smith reacted as he did, but I think he should not have done. Stand up and walk out in disgusted protest if necessary - that, I feel, would have had every bit of the same or equivalent ‘right’ impact, with none of the wrong.
Really, its made worse because he used his time to excuse his attacking Rock and praise himself as a defender of his family. It was so self serving.
I don’t know, why don’t you ask THEM?
Why would security have done anything? There was nothing for them to respond to until Smith was already walking back to his seat. It’s not like he knocked Rock down to the floor and started working him over. That would have been something they’d have to deal with as quickly as possible.
What do giant ants know about the Oscars?
You’re reading it right.
With a total survey population of 2,162 respondents – and online, to boot (usually a self-selecting sample) – this was quite probably not a randomized sample
So it’s possible (not necessarily likely, but they didn’t give us n= values for each cohort identified) that the women were – for example – overwhelmingly lower education, lower income, younger Trump supporters (vs. a good random sample of these demographic metrics).
It’s heartening to see men not monolithically defending the batterer, but it makes you wonder if these women – aside from any statistical issues – are really so acculturated as to blame the victim.
Generally, though, we don’t even know the margin of error here. Many/most of these numbers may well be within it.
They should have escorted him out of the theater. He already demonstrated that he was a capable of violence. Do you think that if Smith went nuts again that security could ensure that no one else would get hurt in the fracas? That’s why you remove someone who has resorted to violence.
Now, that would have been awsome!
I’ll agree with you there, 200 percent (the “2” was a typo, as I was aiming for the “1,” but I’ll leave it as it is). But if the decision maker, whoever it might be, is not willing to remove him for whatever reason, I would at least hope the security people are watching him so intensely he can physically feel their gaze.
Security are there to try to ensure nothing can happen, not to wait until someone is getting hurt and then go break it up. Had it been me jumping up on the stage I’m sure I would have had half a football team on top of me within the first couple feet.
The hesitation in Will’s case was likely confusion: Is this a bit? Is Will about to do some impromptu joke and I’ll lose my job if I grab him?
Not because it was only a slap and they were waiting for a real assault.